Athletic Protection System

ABSTRACT

An athletic protection system for preventing a facemask foul during the game of football includes a helmet that including a cage. The cage is coupled to the helmet. A shield is coupled to the cage. The shield inhibits the cage from being grabbed when the helmet is worn.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure

The disclosure relates to protection devices and more particularly pertains to a new protection device for preventing a facemask foul during the game of football.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a helmet that including a cage. The cage is coupled to the helmet. A shield is coupled to the cage. The shield inhibits the cage from being grabbed when the helmet is worn.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.

There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an athletic protection system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 5 thereof, a new protection device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the athletic protection system 10 generally comprises a helmet 12 that has an open side 14. The helmet 12 includes a cage 16 that is coupled to the helmet 12 and the cage 16 extends across the open side 14. The cage 16 has a plurality of lateral bars 18. The lateral bars 18 are spaced apart from each other to define a first space 20 and a second space 22 in the cage 16. The cage 16 has a back side 24 and the helmet 12 may comprise a football helmet or the like.

A shield 26 is coupled to the cage 16 such that the shield 26 inhibits the cage 16 from being grabbed when the helmet 12 is worn. The shield 26 has a front surface 28 and a back surface 30. The front surface 28 is coupled to the back side 24 of the cage 16. The shield 26 extends completely across the open side 14. Thus, the shield 26 inhibits a hand from passing through the cage 16 thereby protecting a user's face from being injured by the hand. The cage 16 is comprised of a translucent material such as polycarbonate or the like.

The shield 26 has a top half 32 and a bottom half 34. The top half 32 is aligned with the first space 20 in the cage 16 and the bottom half 34 is aligned with the second space 22 in the cage 16. The bottom half 34 has a plurality of apertures 36 extending through the front surface 28 and the back surface 30. Each of the apertures 36 allows air to pass therethrough thereby facilitating a user of the helmet 12 to breathe. The apertures 36 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed on the bottom half 34.

The bottom half 34 has a slot 38 extending through the front surface 28 and the back surface 30. The slot 38 is centrally positioned on the bottom half 34 and the slot 38 may have a mouthpiece extended therethrough. Thus, the mouthpiece may be secured to the cage 16. The mouthpiece may be a football mouthpiece or the like.

In use, the helmet 12 is worn during athletic competition such as the game of football. The shield 26 inhibits the cage 16 from being grabbed during the athletic competition. Thus, the shield 26 reduces a defender's ability to commit a facemask foul during the game of football. Additionally, the user is protected from neck and spinal injuries related to facemask fouls committed during the game of football.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, system and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements. 

I claim:
 1. An athletic protection system comprising: a helmet including a cage being coupled to said helmet; and a shield being coupled to said cage wherein said shield is configured to inhibit said cage from being grabbed when said helmet is worn.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said helmet has an open side, said cage extending across said open side, said cage having a plurality of lateral bars, said lateral bars being spaced apart from each other to define a first space and a second space in said cage, said cage having a back side.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein: said helmet has an open side; said cage extends across said open side, said cage having a back side, a first space and a second space; and said shield has a front surface and a back surface, said front surface being coupled to said back side of said cage, said shield extending completely across said open side wherein said shield is configured to inhibit a hand from passing through said cage, said cage being comprised of a translucent material.
 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said shield has a top half and a bottom half, said top half being aligned with said first space in said cage, said bottom half being aligned with said second space in said cage.
 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said bottom half has a plurality of apertures extending through said front surface and said back surface wherein each of said apertures is configured to allow air to pass therethrough, said apertures being spaced apart from each other and distributed on said bottom half.
 6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said bottom half has a slot extending through said front surface and said back surface wherein said slot is configured to have a mouthpiece extended therethrough thereby facilitating the mouthpiece to be secured to said cage.
 7. An athletic protection system comprising: a helmet having an open side, said helmet including a cage being coupled to said helmet, said cage extending across said open side, said cage having a plurality of lateral bars, said lateral bars being spaced apart from each other to define a first space and a second space in said cage, said cage having a back side; and a shield being coupled to said cage wherein said shield is configured to inhibit said cage from being grabbed when said helmet is worn, said shield having a front surface and a back surface, said front surface being coupled to said back side of said cage, said shield extending completely across said open side wherein said shield is configured to inhibit a hand from passing through said cage, said cage being comprised of a translucent material, said shield having a top half and a bottom half, said top half being aligned with said first space in said cage, said bottom half being aligned with said second space in said cage, said bottom half having a plurality of apertures extending through said front surface and said back surface wherein each of said apertures is configured to allow air to pass therethrough, said apertures being spaced apart from each other and distributed on said bottom half, said bottom half having a slot extending through said front surface and said back surface wherein said slot is configured to have a mouthpiece extended therethrough thereby facilitating the mouthpiece to be secured to said cage. 